Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 19,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $496,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned 0.07% of Business First Bancshares at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BFST. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 543 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $85,000. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 37.5% during the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,582 shares of the company's stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 976 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.35% of the company's stock.
Business First Bancshares Trading Up 2.8%
NASDAQ BFST traded up $0.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $23.71. 56,333 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 92,056. The firm has a market cap of $704.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.49 and a beta of 0.81. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $23.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.97 and a fifty-two week high of $30.30.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $79.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $77.54 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 14.19% and a return on equity of 11.88%. Analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.
Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.05%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
BFST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Business First Bancshares
Insider Activity
In other news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.72, for a total value of $25,759.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,235 shares in the company, valued at $1,642,254.20. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 5.68% of the company's stock.
Business First Bancshares Company Profile
(
Free Report)
Business First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for b1BANK that provides various banking products and services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products and services, including checking, demand, money market, time, and savings accounts; and certificates of deposits, remote deposit capture, and direct deposit services.
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